Storm Journal: ‘Read, Assess, Decide, Act’ – Twitter, Music, COVID-19

Live, read, think. Live, read, walk, ride. Write.

“Advice from a historian in the Boston area: Start keeping a journal today, ideally a hand-written one if that’s within your ability. Write about what you’re seeing in the news, how yr friends are responding, what is closed in yr neighborhood or city or state or country. Save it.”

Shane Landrum, PhD
(via Twitter) @cliotropic Mar 12 (2020)

That's a writing prompt. It's right in front of you.

As a passionate reader curious about nearly everything, those words led to ideas jotted on paper, then walking steps to a keyboard for words to fly and time to stop.

(Am a lousy typist who detests typewriters but can hunt and peck, thank goodness computing came of age at the same time a flexible job was needed and an ad appeared for helping the editor in the newsroom. Fortuitous convergence.)

“RADA. Read the situation, assess options, decide, act.” — Cara Black

Proofing. Remote work on multiple deadlines since a car accident (rear-ended on busy Washington Street, Middletown, Connecticut, one beauty of a Saturday morning. No one killed, but both vehicles totaled.) And that impact meant physical therapy to recover and no driving until that process was completed. A life event that forced a decision to downsize an office and work as a team, all remote — 14 years ago. Creativity under pressure, a good thing it turned out.

Because figuring things out led to acquiring languages. Coding. Web sites. Dropbox and FTPs. Whole worlds opened up. And that way of dedicated learning pries open other endeavors; applied patience and time.

Such as Twitter, which is breaking news, conversations, opinion, inspiration. And trolls, bots, hidden weirdness in timelines and images. (More about that another day.)

As COVID-19 is a hashtag and a global virus spreading rapidly, news breaks constantly. It's fascinating. (Note: Tried Twitter in 2009, but did not realize it is a language that must be acquired. Nuances, abbreviations, GIFs. How does it work? Learn by doing; follow accounts that provide insight, share quotes, books, conversations. News reporters, editors, writers, authors, technology, thought leaders. Virtual reality, business, finance. Radio, reporting, endless learning. Readers.) “Figure it out” took time and patience, trial and error(s). No text book for life, navigating business, innovation to solve roadblocks.

To write about living through crisis seems a good conduit to drain off energies also. As a writer and editor, forced isolation to write and work with discipline is necessary. (There are other chapters that include aviation, veterinary medicine, statewide and regional business coverage.)

Dalana Brand
@d_lux_brand
VP People Experience and Head of I&D Twitter
via twitter (March 14, 2020)

A beautiful March day. Snowdrops, crocus in full bloom. Green shoots of daffodil leaves and furled buds emerging. Red maple blossoms out. Lilac buds swell, responding to the season and weather. Bird song overhead, every where.

Now there is an added focus to write but events are cancelled, postponed. Businesses are adapting, shifting focus to drive-through or working remote; schools close. Sports halted. And the news rolls in, reported in real time, rivers of it, oceans.

Today, Bradley International Airport has a “hot” incident, a passenger aboard with fever and the aircraft must be isolated.

Testing without touch, screening temperatures of reporters at the White Host press conference; now that's a good way to find potential illness and not spread it. (Yes, a good idea. But is mass in-person gatherings a wise decision?)

The wind blows and grass greens up. Family checks in by text. We're at the ready to help each other; some have multiple health issues, no one what the future will bring. But we can help each other. Do the wash. Walk the dogs.

Listen to Bruce Springsteen and Louis Armstrong (thank you again, Brian). When words fail, music does not.

Hop genres, listen to Glen Campbell's last song I'm Not Gonna Miss You (with the legendary Wrecking Crew) from a marvelous documentary, I'll Be Me amid Alzheimer's claiming his memories. (But what a life and what courage from him and especially his family.)


Here also is a link to his son, Shannon Campbell, performing I'm Not Going To Miss You, in a heartfelt and beautiful tribute to his father.

Then more gifts of song; Johnny Cash, John Fogerty, Dead South. Uptown Funk movie clips dance montage. (Look at what humans can do.) Over to Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly, oh boy. The metaphor for life and how large things turn on small actions.

More music. Find balance. Turn off. Walk, think. To ride, it is necessary to ride the horse, not for the crowd. Focus.

Basic supplies were purchased to restock and prepare in February; reading widely on Twitter as a reminder that a storm (virus) was headed across the globe. Being ready and informed is a byproduct of past military service in a highly mobile rescue and recovery squadron. Ingrained are the lessons of being prepared and knowing a chain of command. The recall phone directory chart of who each of us were charged to call made information visual; here's who to call and where they will be.

That all of us could be called into motion and put into a processing line to get vaccinations updated, wills created or updated, each of us had a go-bag packed. Sometimes the call up was a drill; other times, it was the real thing. Weather, hotspots, evacuations, rescues, recoveries from awful events.

Note to readers: Since we are all living on a ship of sorts and sailing through interesting times, more entries and findings will be added as days progress.

May you also write, draw, paint, compose, make music; decide to take your business or class virtual. Or grow in new ways and contribute your abilities and talents to friends, family, community, or online. Lead, follow; be loud or stay still. Actions ripple out and can nudge something else into being.

“Many of us ask what can I, as one person, do, but history shows us that everything good and bad starts because somebody does something or does not do something.” — Sylvia Earle


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To be continued. For COVID-19 resources via Twitter and other helpful sites, link is here to what usually is out events page.